Rarely has a major court decision been met with such stony silence by California politicians as the ruling declaring that the state's teacher tenure laws hurt poor and minority-heavy schools and are unconstitutional.

Gov. Jerry Brown has yet to comment. Same with Attorney General Kamala Harris, whose office defended the state when the lawsuit was argued in Los Angeles.

Likewise, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom- who blasted out five tweets within hours of Texas Gov. Rick Perry likening homosexuality to alcoholism - hasn't uttered a word on the ruling that threw out California's tenure laws.

"The California Teachers Association and their allies in labor are a predominant source of money for both Gov. Brown and down-ballot Democrats in the state," Gerston noted. "To speak out in favor of the decision would set off a major rift. To speak out against it would undermine their standing as education reformers."

One exception was union-backed state Superintendent of Public Education Tom Torlakson, who is facing a November re-election challenge from charter schools advocate Marshall Tuck.

"Attracting, training and nurturing talented and dedicated educators are among the most important tasks facing every school district," Torlakson said. The ruling "may inadvertently make this critical work even more challenging than it already is."

In contrast to most state pols, retiring Democratic Rep. George Millerof Martinez, a longtime education advocate, wasn't the least shy about stating his feelings.

"I believe in job security, but if you read the decision, it clearly shows that the present teacher tenure laws are a real barrier to low-income and minority kids getting a good education," Miller said.

There is one good reason for politicians not to wander too far out on a limb: Teachers unions will be appealing the ruling.

"If I were an elected official," said Gerston, "I'd just say, 'The case is working its way through the system.' "

High-speed deal: As part of the overall state budget deal, Democratic lawmakers have agreed to use $250 million in cap-and-trade revenue to help build the $68 billion high-speed rail project.

The deal means 25 percent of the money the state gets from selling carbon emission rights - including the expected 10- to 20-cent-per-gallon bump at the pump starting next year - will go to high-speed rail.

His enthusiasm isn't shared by state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, chairman of the Senate transportation committee and front-runner for retiring Rep. George Miller's East Bay House seat.

"I think it was a big mistake," DeSaulnier said. He noted that it's still unclear where the state will get all the money it needs to build the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles bullet train.

By the way, the rail project's "risk manager" is John Tapping- who previously worked at Caltrans as the risk manager for the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge.

Hope he has better luck this time.

Cracked cup: Truth be told, San Francisco officials knew the city was out of the running for the 2017 America's Cup months ago.

"The minute they opened the competition to other cities, they pretty much stopped talking to us," said one City Hall insider close to the talks.

And while the race organizers complained about the lack of love they were getting from the city, money was the real issue.

Not only did the America's Cup crew want $30 million in corporate pledges, sources tell us, but they also wanted the city to pick up the costs of staging the races again.

Neither was going happen.

At Mayor Ed Lee's urging, the San Francisco travel bureau and the Giants held a last-minute breakfast sit-down with organizers. But by then, it was clear the race was sailing into the sunset.

"They didn't want the hassle, and neither did we," said one city official.

Off and running: More than a week after a San Francisco jail inmate took out the garbage and never came back, he's still at large - thanks in part to a faulty radio system.

The inmate, Timothy Midgett, 40, who was serving a one-year sentence for a felony drug violation, was being escorted by a sheriff's deputy to the basement of the Hall of Justice to take out the trash when he ran out a door, according to the Sheriff's Department.

But because the sheriff's deputies radios aren't connected to the city's 911 emergency services center, the deputy's call on his hand-held radio went only to other deputies back inside the jail.

Eventually, a supervisor switched over to a channel monitored at the Police Department's Southern Station and broadcast an alert and description of the escapee.

As for why the deputy who lost Midgett didn't switch to a police channel to broadcast the escape himself? Chief Deputy Kathy Gorwoodsaid he was probably too busy chasing the guy.